1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication apparatus which makes a data communication with an external apparatus connected to a communication relay apparatus via a close proximity wireless communication, and a communication relay apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some information apparatuses such as terminal devices (for example, personal computers) and image capturing apparatuses (for example, digital still cameras) execute data transmission/reception using wireless communications. A close proximity wireless communication which uses an NFC (Near Field Communication) technique that uses an IC tag in a wireless communication between information apparatuses has been used in broader fields due to excellent portability in addition to information apparatuses. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-31531 discloses an information acquisition/distribution system in which a reader/writer of an IC tag of a close proximity wireless communication is arranged in an advertising medium to execute data transmission/reception.
The information acquisition/distribution system of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-31531 transmits/receives data using a one-to-one close proximity wireless communication. For example, when there is a plurality of advertising media, the user has to bring his or her information apparatus closer to one target advertising medium upon receiving information. That is, the user decides a communication target of the close proximity wireless communication by bringing the information apparatus closer to that communication target.
By contrast, the following arrangement may be adopted. That is, for example, a reader/writer for a close proximity wireless communication is arranged in a communication relay apparatus such as a network hub, and the user communicates with a plurality of external apparatuses connected to this communication relay apparatus by bringing his or her information apparatus closer to the communication relay apparatus. In this case, the user can communicate with the plurality of external apparatuses by bringing his or her information apparatus closer to the communication relay apparatus. However, in such conventional system, there is no means for selecting one external apparatus as a communication partner with which the information apparatus is to make a communication.